Edible plant walk

Doug splitting branch of willow.

Doug Getgood lead the Toronto Survivalism Group on an excellent hike recently. Here are several things I learned:

Carry an epinephrine and Benadryl in case you have an unexpected reaction to a plant. Some can kill you quickly. Also to get an allergic reaction you often have to try the plant on two different occasions. [Notes from Wikipedia: "Benadryl is used as an antihistamine for the temporary relief of seasonal and perennial allergy symptoms. Benadryl is available for oral or topical use." From ehow.com's hiker's first aid kit page: "Benadryl can slow a moderate to severe allergic reaction, giving you more time to get someone to medical care." Also see Create a hiker's first aid kit. Regarding epinephrine, Shopwiki.com says: "If anyone in your family has life-threatening allergies, keep an epinephrine kit  or an EpiPen  in every first aid kit."]

Only pick a wild plant if there is an abundance. Only harvest up to 5%.

Avoid eating roots that come from soil that may be contaminated or near major roads. The greens are better as they absorb less toxins.

Avoid mushrooms as a survival food as they take more energy to find and collect than they supply in food value. They are very low in calories and fat.

Use field guide books to correctly identify plants and check if they are edible. Be very cautious. There are often similar plants that are poisonous or even deadly.

Doug uses Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide for identification. There is a index based on type of leaf and other characteristics. Next he uses Peterson Field Guide: Edible Wild Plants to check how edible the plant is. This book also shows poisonous look-a-likes.

Yarrow – “looks like the feather of an arrow.” Use for stopping bleeding. If you have a cold, a yarrow tea will warm the body.

Wild Mustard – edible but a bit harsh if you have too much. Eat seed pods or leaves.

Willow – you can eat the inner bark in an emergency. The bark has aspirin properties. Bendy branches can be used for weaving a basket.

The ecological footprint of a house cat, and other ethical dilemmas

I found this creepy cat plate at a garage sale.

Getting a cat (or a dog) is not a decision that should be made lightly. It involves around a 15 year commitment. And there are some very important challenges, ethical dilemmas and potential problems you may want to consider.

Bringing a cat into your home may seem like a compassionate thing to do. Most cities have an overpopulation of cats forcing many animal shelters to euthanize most of the ones they take in. Cats may seem like easy creatures to care for, especially if you had one as a child and your parents did most of the work. And who can deny that kittens are extremely cute and lovable.

But they also come with challenges. Four years ago, I learned this the hard way after I agreed to allow one of my vegan roommates to bring a rescued kitten into our shared home. We named her Stella. Around the same time I got to observe the challenging relationship my partner shared with her elderly cat named Ajax.

Ethical dilemmas

When people care for a cat (or any domesticated animal) they usually exercise complete control over breeding, food and shelter. For food animals, this kind of control has lead to factory farms. While cats enjoy more freedom than chickens and pigs, there are some tough questions you may want to ask yourself: Should I fix “my” cat or not? Should I let my cat run free outside? Should I feed him or her a diet of raw meat?

Dilemmas arise when trying to balance the interests of a cat with your own needs, and the interests of other animals she may interact with (including the ones that become her food).

The ecological footprint of a house cat

Cats are domesticated animals, and together with food animals and humans, contribute to the Earth becoming increasingly out of balance. Wilderness areas (and the wildlife it contained) have been displaced by agriculture to grow food for the increasing numbers of non-wild animals on the planet. Every non-wild being has an ecological footprint that is mostly made up of the farmland it takes to feed them. Carnivores need far more land than vegetarians because they eat other domesticated animals that have ecological footprints themselves.

Other ecological considerations are kitty litter, product packaging and transportation, and shelter. Heating and cooling may also be a factor by putting a constraint on how much you can adjust your thermostat while away or at work.

Dietary dilemmas

My vegan housemate insisted on feeding Stella (our rescued kitten) a diet of raw ground up organic chicken. Before Stella arrived, we had maintained a vegetarian kitchen in our home. Suddenly there was chicken juices on plates and knives, and remains in the garbage. All this only because she wanted to feed Stella the best and most natural diet possible. Cats are carnivores, and evolved eating raw meat. Their systems can handle a certain amount of bacteria. But it is recommended to go organic because the bacterial load of most commercial meat and eggs is very high.